Slant-hole drilling finds expanding role in Canada

Slant-hole drilling is a method for achieving horizontal displacement at shallow depths to access targets that could not be reached by conventional directional drilling. Slant-hole drilling techniques also have been used for multiwell programs where wellheads are spaced closely together on a drill site, or pad, and the wells directionally drilled to hit reservoir targets. Sierra Drilling Ltd. has had recent success in slant-hole drilling projects. This article focuses on two projects in western Canada where Sierra acted as drilling contractor. One project was a multiwell drilling program for a drill pad and the other project was a gas well drilled with an extreme horizontal well bore displacement.